World Test Championship Final: Rain plays spoilsport on Day 1 first session

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given an update for the World Test Championship (WTC) final in Southampton and has stated that there will be no play in the first session on Day 1.

The BCCI had earlier shared pictures from The Rose Bowl where it continues to drizzle. They captioned the image, "Good morning from Southampton. We are just over an hour away from the scheduled start of play but It continues to drizzle here. The match officials are on the field now. #WTC21".

They added, "Update: Unfortunately there will be no play in the first session on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final. #WTC21".

Update: Unfortunately there will be no play in the first session on Day 1 of the ICC World Test Championship final. #WTC21

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 18, 2021

The game does have a reserve day on June 23 but in case of a no-result, the Test Championship will be shared.

India vs New Zealand, Southampton weather forecast 

"Friday, 18th June weather in Southampton is expected to be largely unsettled, with a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in place throughout the day," said a spokesperson for the UK Met office. 

"There’s a small chance of heavy rain in spells, which could affect some roads. Cloud will be largely dominant in the area, with spells of heavy rain and thunderstorms possible throughout the day, likely peaking in the afternoon. There will also be breezy conditions in the area, with gusts of up to 31mph.

"There’s a chance of some intense showers in the area on the day, as the unsettled conditions move in from Europe to affect large areas of England."

The ICC WTC final was initially supposed to be held at Lords, but due to COVID-19 issues and bio-bubble facilities, the game shifted to Southampton. However, the weather does not look quite good.